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Hello, everyone!
Just wanted to introduce myself -- longtime reader of MGS and forum lurker. Finally decided to pull the trigger on signing up.
I've been playing golf for a long time, dating back to knocking it around in my pre-teenage years with my father at the local par 3. Never took lessons or was very good, to be honest. My junior year of college I played 3-5 rounds a week for a few months and broke 90 (89) once on the course I played all of the time. Always had a nasty flip through release. Hit it very high and very short, and if my timing was off, it was ugly.
Moved around quite a bit after college and only played a few times from 2012-2018, until I tried to pick it up more seriously last summer. Struggled mightily at the beginning, about gave up, but with lots of YouTube coaching and a tripod for my cell phone camera (how did I live without this?!) I've made some really good strides toward a good swing. Namely, I am now properly balanced in the swing and have no need to flip at the ball anymore.
Spent some money last fall heading into this winter on new clubs and gadgets, including a Swing Caddie that is really too cool.
I play around the western half of Michigan, and I am hoping to expand my horizons a bit this upcoming year and play some courses I haven't in the past. I was able to get out and play for the first time last weekend, shooting a 10-over 46 on a really easy local track, but minus two double bogeys (one caused solely by terrible course management), I felt I played really well.
In the future I'm hoping to get a Skytrak simulator in my garage and perhaps get into building some of my own clubs. I am currently waiting on parts to arrive for my DIY SuperSpeed project, which was inspired by the posts here.
Love the work MGS does. I am looking forward to contributing here however I can.

Appreciate it Mike and Revkev. I was doing what's on the current website and was shocked at first by how sore I was since most people here said they did not get much of a workout from it. I then did the math and realized I had increased from 39 swings to 93 swings. I am glad they are changing up the protocols then because I've had to do 2 days in between each session because of how sore I was. Sent from my SM-G950U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

I’m unimpressed by the article - he defeats his own argument by demonstrating that he has perfectly playable reasonably priced equipment. Additionally he lives in Milwaukee. Their system of municipal courses that provide affordable high quality golf for its residents is well known. Included among those courses is a former Tour venue, Brown Deer Park. I know Shankster is trying to equate cost with performance - it’s not necessarily the case my friend nor is that why people buy new equipment every year or two. They do it because it makes them feel good that they can. My grandfather used to buy a new, fully loaded Caddy every year. Why? Because he could and because he had once come over on a boat and grew up too poor to eat more than a meal a day. During the depression he worked three jobs. One turned out really great for him post war to retirement so every year he bought a Caddy and bought 50 yard seats to the Super Bowl. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I am interested in hitting more of these 2019 drivers as this seems to be the year of the driver. All I can say is those of you that are interested in the Cobra F9, it seems to be a the real deal. Today i tested: Bridgestone, Cobra, Wilson, and Cleveland. For me they all performed about the same regarding distance. Interesting that during the fitting process we determined I needed to lower my launch angle to optimize, but couldn't hit the center of the face enough to get consistent launch angle. I was impressed with my swing speed to start the testing season.....average was in the 109 range; that is up about 9 MPH from where I started last year. Also tried the PXG, it was sitting there and I couldn't just ignore the club, it was asking to be hit. I will be interested in what the number crunching comes up with as a recommendation. Session 2 will be Thursday. I don't know why, but I am really excited about testing this year. Putter selection looks nice as well; although, I wish there was an Odyssey Stroke Lab or Toulon in the mix. The equipment junkie in me wants to try that shaft; especially if I can see the results on the GC Quad.

Shot a 39/44:83 today using my garage stored 10 year old PowerBilt Air Force Ones, remember the ones that were nitrogen filled instead of using internal supports. I was “getting away” from 8 months of Arccos tech just to clear my head and Wow! They still have the punch. I putted horrible, having a 30’ shot at Eagle on a Par 5, ending with a Par. Missed three shots at Birdie, settling for Par or Bogey. That said, I set up the old clubs with Arccos 360 sensors tonight and will play them for a month to see what happens. Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Went to True Spec and this will serve as my 6 month update: Grant, Thank you for coming into our studio this afternoon. I hope you enjoyed the experience of a True Spec iron fitting and felt like we identified beyond a shadow of a doubt your Cleveland Launcher HB irons were the best overall solution for what you're looking for at this stage in your game. While you originally had some concerns about the lie angles of your current irons, the GC Quad report (attached) show that you're consistently delivering a neutral lie angle at impact. Additionally, you were hoping to find a setup that was more forgiving, and while certain combinations changed the dynamics of the ball flight, I feel confident that the numbers you're producing are optimal for your swing signature. Sure, the Callaway Rogue Irons gave you 3 more mph of ball speed, but they also launched 4 degrees lower and had a whopping 8.5-9.0 degrees lower dynamic loft at impact. While they fly almost 10 yards farther, they are coming in so shallow (38-39 degrees) with about 600 rpm of spin less that you won't have any luck stopping the ball coming into the green. The best combination of forgiveness, launch, speed, and consistency was achieved using your Cleveland gamers. Best of all, you got them from MyGolfSpy!! I'm really interested to have you back and get fit for a Driver. The XXIO line is notoriously very easy to hit, so I'm up for the challenge of trying to beat it and find a more permanent solution for your tee ball. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Bunch of new gear is coming out soon so next time you're in we should have some new toys! Thanks, SF True Spec Golf Shaun Fagan Master Club Fitter 413-454-2726 TrueSpecGolf.com The guys there were great and I would highly recommend them to anyone. I’m sure I will build a relationship with them as I round out other parts of my bag. I can provide monitor data if anyone is still paying attention to this thread. Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

@Kenny B.
He did reply very nicely to my message. Thanking me for the link but still insisting golf is dying and rising cost in all aspects is a reason.
I said at least at my course in our region we don't see that. But encouraged him to write a more in-depth piece from all angels, OEM's, courses, consumers and TV Networks.
Something along the lines youd see from John or Tony

As GolfSpy T often points out, there is absolutely NO data to support the idea that equipment costs influence participation. None.
It's a convenient, albeit flawed argument to make, but correlation isn't causation.
And, as T correctly points out, the existence of a PXG doesn't mean a lower-priced alternative is wiped off the board.
Jeff from Hireko Golf told me last year that loft-for-loft and shaft-for-shaft, a lower priced version of a Hireko model will perform so close to a "name brand" iron that most of us non-professionals (and non-plus handicaps) couldn't tell the difference. And seriously, I want to learn more about Sub 70, started by Diamond Golf's owners. Stuff looks pretty sweet at a nice looking price.

http://www.morningread.com/features/20286b8d-0ed8-453b-b1d0-ec5578c12b7f
Oh great....Another story in a mainstream publication that golf club prices are too high. There's no doubt they have risen over the past ten and even five years as Van Sickle says. But he spends much of the article complaining that prices are too high, and golf participation is dying, which is another argument in of itself.
I'll continue to beat the drum, of golf is as expensive or inexpensive as you make it. If you buy a set of brand new irons--or OK maybe two----alright----three sets each year, and take destination trips to places like Pinehurst, Bandon or even Scotland, then yes it's going to cost a fair amount of money. But if you're perfectly content playing a driver and/or irons that are several models old, chances are you're not going to be giving up too many yards or fairways to your extravagant friends. There are many great daily fee municipal courses, where you can play a round of golf for less than the cost of a meal and beer at Outback--I should know, i work at one---golf course that is---not an Outback!
We by nature on this forum are equipment junkies, and I know many of you who have said they will never pay $500 or even $300 for a new driver, and be very content, and I know a few who will think that the newest $500 driver just has to be better than that $500 driver you just bought 3 months ago--I may or may not be looking in a mirror when I say that
I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts, are you more in line agreeing with the Author or have a different take.

When you see a great Tweet related to golf, whether funny, or about the swing, ANYTHING, share it here. This one is for those with iron head covers. Hilarious, but true!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

+1. Golf equipment cost is similar to what I've observed in fly fishing. $1000+ fly rods are available but will not necessarily cast better or catch more fish. It's clear the mfg's are tapping into a segment of the players (fishermen) that believe high price equals high performance, simply like the looks of or being seen with that product, or both. Nothing wrong with that at all.
I see folks all decked out with high end fly fishing equipment who cannot cast the length of the boat and folks with custom fitted PXG's chopping their way down the fairways. I also see folks with old $100 rods laying out gorgeous presentations and folks with low cost clubs playing great golf. If all are having fun with whatever they choose in equipment, to each their own.
Reading the article, it seems that the author is focusing too much on the more recent growth of "high end/cost" and not balancing that with the fact that there is still plenty of mid range, quality equipment available - and that dosen't even account for the used market option. I would no way have paid $300 for my Callaway Razr-Fit, but had no problem forking over $50.
Now, were the market to shift where all new clubs were in the Mizuno, PXG, etc. price points, I think his article would be spot on...but that is not the case.

Welcome to the forum!
I think the consensus here would be two things. First, there have been some very good drivers released recently (or that are about to released). It is not at all unlikely that one of them would, on average, show some kind of distance or dispersion improvement over your current club.
But second, the only way to know that is to be fitted. I believe it is the founder of MGS who coined the line, "There is no club that's best for everyone, but there is a club best for you." A good place to start your search is www.truegolffit.com, which takes the thousands of shots of testing data done by MGS, compares it to details about your own swing, and recommends a driver that is very likely to maximize the performance of your swing.

Yep. For example during today's driver testing we went through several of the drivers to pick shafts and loft to try and optimize my launch conditions. Didn't help me hit the center of the clubface but that isn't a club problem.

I was going to put the epic Sub zero in the bag for my upcoming golfing trip, but with this I think I may throw the ping g400 back in.
Considering how many consumers don't get fit and buy off the rack I don't see how that argument holds true.

Joined the site to read reviews and learn more about new products and proper fitting. I currently have a 2006 Nike Ignite 460 driver, a 2013 TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2 Tour 3 wood, a 2003 Nike T40 5 wood (which never leaves the bag), 2002 Nike Pro Combo Forged Irons, 2018 Vokey SM7 52 & 56 wedges, and a 2004 Nike Blue Chip blade putter. Needless to say I've needed to upgrade for a while, but now have the income to do so. I bought most of these on eBay back in the day with no idea about fitting. They are all about an inch short, and have the wrong shafts.
I played in high school at around an 8-9 handicap. I am now 35 and through lack of practice/play my handicap has climbed to 16. I've decide this year needs to be better, and hired a teacher with the full technology lineup. After four lessons, we did some fitting for irons and the data led me to Mizuno JPX 919 Tour with KBS Tour 130 X shafts which I will be buying after my taxes are filled. I was blown away by the dispersion improvement shown on the TrackMan, I also gained about 7-10 yards. I look forward to getting fit for the driver and getting on the SAM PuttLab to find the rest of my clubs. I might even be willing to drop the 5 wood or 3 iron and test a hybrid this year.

I received a smartline ball marker for Christmas and have tried it a couple of times and personally believe it does have some benefits. Of course there are some caveats to that claim.
What is the smartline ball marker? It is a ball marker that will help you line up your ball based on what percent the green slopes. If you look at the picture below, the red line points straight at the hole, the white lines directly to the right and left of the red line are for 1% slope, the second set of white lines for 3%, and the black line between is for 2% slopes.
I have self taught myself Aimpoint so I kind of use the slope percentage in my putting approach. The hardest part for me if figuring out were the line on my ball should point when I pick the aim point in the distance. The ball mark solves that by bringing that line closer to my ball. Part of what this marker does is confirm my read and gives me confidence that the line on my ball is lined up correctly. Obviously, it doesn't help with speed, but I find that I am keeping the ball above the hole which improves the chance of making the putts. I think the biggest benefit is on those 3% slope putts since it is hard to convince yourself that the ball really needs to start that far out. If you purchase you receive the marker, printed instructions, carrying bag, and a code that will allow you to access some instructional and practice videos.
The biggest negative is that if you don't use a line on your ball or use a spot in front of your ball it would be very difficult to line up your ball properly. Also, while I generally use a larger ball marker this one is bigger that the one I previously used.
Cost: $20. Probably a bit expensive even with the free shipping and the videos. For someone not familiar with how Aimpoint works or wants some ideas on how to compensate for multiple breakers the videos aren't bad. The marker itself is high quality and heavy; It is something you will have to carry in a pocket since it isn't magnetic.
Overall, it is a simple to use aid that can be used during your round; it is USGA legal. Even if you don't subscribe to the Aimpoint approach but used a line on your ball it it a handy tool to get your ball lined up correctly. While it won't fix technique or help with speed control I think it can provide some benefits on the green. I would rank it as an 8/10 and would recommend it for someone that does use a line on the ball. While the cost is a drawback in my mind, I have spend $20 on golf stuff that was far less useful. This product will stay in my bag since it fits into my approach for putting.
Product website: https://smartlineputting.com
Can be purchased via Amazon if you would prefer that route: Amazon Link

I'm kind of hot warm and cold on a new driver this year. So far I've hit/tested a little bit.... the Ping G400, Wilson Cortex, and Titleist TS2. The Ping was indoor only and the other two were both outdoors with crummy range balls. My last 3 rounds have all been great driving rounds with my now ancient 2014 TM SLDR. It's been an accurate, consistent, and reliable winner for almost 5 years now. Of the three I've tested briefly above; the TS2 is a driver I'd put in my bag today if I were seriously considering. The day I tried it I was striping it no differently than my SLDR. And this was an OTR demo!! I told the pro at the club I'd be inclined to take it as is.
Hmmm... maybe I need to take it out on the course and see how it really performs.

Ditto. Indeed I am not 100% sold on PING's hydropearl either after seeing several used sets that look like they have razor burn. My GMax's finish holds up nicely though they wont win any beauty contests. IMO, if PING came out with a line of irons with the same finish as the Stealth wedges, they'd have an instant winner. I use the snot out of all of mine (especially the 58*) and so far they have held up beautifully. With the darker CB shafts I have on them, they really do look great.

Imo that’s the reasoning. Harry said last year in a tweet thread that anyone who does a fitting will see that their driver will come out on top. Well we’ve people get fit and have ping or Tm come out on top against epic and rogue.

I am an iPhone user for the past 8 years or so, however, a friend of mine showed me his new Samsung phone and the Samsung DeX dock. It was pretty slick that he could hook it up to a monitor and keyboard. It would pretty much replace my desktop computer. Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Not a scoring milestone, but .. hit most of the fairways in a 9-hole round and .. importantly for me .. that included a few solid shots with a driver (and - a rental set driver, no less)!
Looking forward to reporting more good news as this season progresses.

I doubt it. I think this is a equipment junkie thing. I just don't see your weekend joe buying a $200 shaft for his putter. He'd buy a new putter over a new shaft. Heck, weekend golfers mostly have stock regular shafts in their drivers, which they care about a lot more than putters. To them, Distance is king!

Interesting if the reason for Callaway not participating is 100% accurate. One would assume that Callaway therefore won't be selling any equipment without the purchaser first going through a fitting process.
I'm certain that that will never happen, and that they are using an excuse rather than a reason (just like me about my poor play)

Another BirdieBall fan here!
Have a dual-speed 4x12 (also bought on sale) out in the garage - which slopes slightly "down" towards the outer door, so I have the fast side oriented "downhill", and so the slow side going "uphill", to accentuate the effect. I use it mainly to practice putting speed in either direction from varying distances (have another standard putting mat in the basement to practice starting the ball on-line). I'll also occasionally work on small chips off a mat above the downhill side; ie. onto a downslope (yes - it's tough!)
My dopey Lab - who thinks anything you put down on the floor is automatically his to lie on, like Romeo's Duke :-) - snuck out into the garage when I'd walked inside to get something and did that digging thing on my BirdieBall....... so now I have what are like large spike marks in front of the downhill hole...... Hey, makes it more realistic, right?

I personally believe she violated the rules and should receive punishment. But I am very black and white like that! I see very little, if any, gray area in life. My non-golfer wife had a different take. For reference, my wife was an econ and marking major in college. She has worked for 20 years in business development, economic development and marketing management. Her point is simple. Everyone associated with the ad likely knew the consequence for Li, including Li's family. It was intentional in her opinion.
My wife believes it was a calculated risk given modern society considers any publicity to be good publicity. If Li is punished by the USGA, she is the "innocent victim" which will likely land her endorsements from other brands as she turns professional. This will also give her some leverage with the LPGA to allow her to seek playing privileges prior to turning 18.
If she is not punished by the USGA, she gamed the system to get future endorsements when she turns professional later. Especially considering she will have been the face of a billion dollar company like Apple in a very successful ad campaign.
Either way, the Li family benefits.

Limped home to an 88 on Sunday and my handicap keeps trending higher as I kick out good scores from summer. I am finally trying to address my flipping & leaning back tendency on my downswing that leads to epic, hole-killing hooks, and the results just haven't been there yet.
Early in the round my newer swing thoughts are working, but my setup/positioning is bad, for example I pured my 7 iron approach on the first hole but instead of my normal pronounced draw, this one started right of the target and just eased back a bit. A great ball flight that I would be ecstatic to use consistently, but missed the green because I aimed there, not trusting the new swing yet (and didn't get up & down). Then as the round goes on old tendencies come up and I start missing left again. #dreadedtwowaymiss
GHIN has moved up from 5.7 this summer to trending 8.6. I need to fix this issue in 2019 because once I have kids the number of rounds I play will be dropping substantially and I'll have no hope, but man is it frustrating in the meantime...

I believe if I remember correctly and GSBarba can correct me if I'm wrong, but the reason for declining last year from what I read online from Harry was they felt the product needed to be fit to the actual tester to give it's true performance.
Which on the surface sounds fine, but every other OEM that sends in drivers is doing so without it being fit. They have a wide selection of shafts at MGS HQ and using club conex they are able to put just about any head on any shaft. And most of the testers have been through enough testings to know what works best for them shaft wise.
So as Vincent Gambini in My Cousin Vinny would say....The testimony doesn't hold water!

Not for me... I'm a 4 handicap on course and about a 40 on the lanes. I consider myself to be an above average golfer, but a waaaaay below average bowler. I normally Bowl lower than my golf score... I'll just leave it at that...

I agree with Tony--and as a result you as well--we see it at course, the only thing that slows down our number of rounds is the weather. We had historically high record rainfalls last year in this region, and even at that surpassed the previous years rounds played. it's been that trend for several years.
Added to that, even though we aren't a real high volume sales course in equipment, we have also had year over year increases in equipment sales the past three years. Sure we don't stock PXG, but I bet if we were to carry a couple of it's $585 drivers, i know we would sell them--and no I'm not counting myself in that
But I guess it's--the Van Sickle piece--is an easy article to write when you're deadline is coming up and you're stuck on ideas.

I agree 100% that golf is as expensive or inexpensive as we want to make it. My personal set of clubs has cost me a total of $85. It took a couple years and some patients but there are definitely ways to get around the “high club cost”. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy